Both men have been referred to the Scottish Football Association's disciplinary
committee following the flashpoint that proceeded the final whistle of
Motherwell's 2-1 SPL win on Saturday.

But Brown, whose team face St Mirren in the SPL on Wednesday night, will be free to take
his position in the Hampden dugout for his team's Scottish Cup semi-final
against Celtic after escaping an automatic ban because the incident was not
mentioned in referee Steven McLean's report.

The disciplinary panel next meet on April 12 but the Fir Park clash is unlikely
to be on the agenda as the SFA first have to write to both men and study their
responses. The former Scotland manager is instead likely to be summoned to Hampden when
the committee members meet in May.

It was another return to a former workplace that caused the controversy after
the former Motherwell boss reacted angrily to a comment made by Boyle as the
pair shook hands in the technical area. Boyle turned and walked away down the tunnel and was chased by Brown before
being grabbed by the jacket, with Aberdeen assistant Archie Knox also closely
involved in the jostling.

It later emerged that Brown and Knox, who left Motherwell to take over at
Pittodrie in December, had launched a legal action against the Lanarkshire club
over unpaid bonuses for the club's Co-operative Insurance Cup run. The pair led Motherwell to a quarter-final win in October but had left Fir
Park, where they had not signed a contract, before the semi-final.

Brown was immediately spoken to by police, who confirmed they were making
enquiries but did not anticipate any criminal action following the "minor
pushing''.

The 70-year-old said: "I shook hands with the chairman and subsequently it
wasn't a very pleasant situation. I didn't do a thing, in my opinion, to merit anything.''

He added that disciplinary action was the SFA's prerogative "but I personally
would fight it vigorously''.